Aran's Gift
by lalausa-chan
Summary: A short story about Aran's experience with first joining the Dawn Brigade. I don't own Fire Emblem or any of the material inside. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey guys! This is my first story, so please be kind and review. Any suggestions will be appreciated. And feel free to PM me about anything. Enjoy! **_

**Aran's Gift**

Living life with the Dawn Brigade is already better than life with the Begnion Occupational Army, and I haven't even been with them a full day. After escaping the prison with my assistance, Sothe suggested we set up camp for the night. It was surprising he already considered me a part of the Brigade so easily.

Everyone seemed prepared to spend the night on the forest floor, and this didn't bother me… much. I had reconnected with Laura today, delicate little Laura who had probably never missed a meal in her life. I couldn't fathom her sleeping on the ground. I know I had slept on worse, but Laura shouldn't have to.

Thankfully, Sothe disappeared for about an hour and came back with four large tents. It wasn't a wonder how he got them- I had seen his thieving skills firsthand. He, Nolan and I set up the tents quickly. I again noticed how strange it was that they seemed to trust me, though I still wore the armor of their enemies. Laura had insisted upon me staying, and I _had_ helped them escape… but it was still a risk on their part. Maybe I just couldn't understand trust after being with the Occupational Army for so long. Every man there knew better to trust even the friendliest man... those were usually the most deadly ones.

Nolan looked at our work proudly, but Sothe seemed troubled. I approached him carefully, keeping my guard up. Maybe he trusted me… but I couldn't quite be at ease after seeing how gracefully he could kill someone, quicker than the blink of an eye. "Something wrong, commander?" I keep my tone respectful, but the green-haired man turned to me with a slight frown on his face. "Call me Sothe," was his short reply. "Er… yes. Is something wrong, Sothe…?"

"Not really. I'm actually relieved; we've really needed some extra muscle in our group. Nolan and I have a hard time keeping up with the girls and the kids… It's just that there are four tents, and seven of us." Was that what he thought of me as? Just 'extra muscle.' Well, it was better than the Army. Much better.

And was that the only issue? I had thought the troubled look he wore was about something more serious. Or maybe that was just how he always looked? "I have no problem sleeping on the ground, command- uh, Sothe. The Occupational Army has trained me for much worse conditions than these, so don't worry."

His eyes tighten at the mention of the Occupation Army, but he nods slowly. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm sure Micaiah would have my hide if I allowed our newest member to sleep in the dirt on his very first day."

"I certainly would."

We both turned in surprise as Micaiah approached us, a playful smile on her face. She walked over to me, placing a hand gently on my shoulder. I involuntarily winced at the contact- the Army had trained me too well. Every day our commander warned us about Micaiah- or, the "vile witch," as he called her.

After hearing tales of her evil works and eye-witness stories, I expected her to have fangs and red eyes.

But in reality, she was quite lovely. Long, silver hair and yellow eyes. Odd features, yes. But not hideous, as I'd heard her described. Her smile lit up her face, showing two deep dimples in her pink cheeks. Beautiful by most standards, but I was mostly indifferent. She was too deeply set in my mind as evil...

The only problem I had with how she looked was the obvious lie she had given me. She'd told me earlier that she was Sothe's sister. This couldn't be true- they looked nothing alike. But I would accept the lie if it meant I could stay with the Dawn Brigade, because I couldn't go back to the Occupational Army now.

"I could never allow you to sleep on the ground, Aran," Micaiah continued, either ignoring or not noticing my wince. "We'll simply have to… squeeze."

I sigh with relief as she removes her hand, but the relief doesn't last long. Something about the Silver-Haired Maiden's tone leaves me uneasy…

_**Please rate and review! **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad it's going well so far. Enjoy Chapter 2! **_

"Squeeze…?" I asked her slowly, raising an eyebrow. Micaiah smiled at me sweetly, lifting a slim finger to her lip. "I'm sure this is manageable. Sothe and I can have one tent... Nolan can have the small one to himself. Laura and you could share one, and then Edward and Leonardo can have the last one." Sothe nodded in approval, rolling his eyes.

"Hopefully the kids won't tear the tent down- what's wrong, Aran?"

I had completely frozen up when Micaiah had mentioned Laura and I sharing a tent.

How could they be so casual? They were sharing a tent, which was just fine for them if they wanted to. They knew each other, and claimed to be 'related.' But I haven't seen Laura in years. We've grown. Sharing a room is simply something that wasn't done.

Especially since I hadn't dealt with women since I'd joined the Army! I was used to the thick smell of sweat in the air, the usual crude jokes and deep voices. This was Laura.

Tiny, feminine Laura who had been my best friend in my long-lost childhood.

"N-nothing, commander. There's nothing wrong." I gave him the standard military response, and thankfully he didn't comment on my scramble for words. He simply nodded, crossing his arms and looking off in the distance with a deep scowl.

Micaiah, however, wasn't the type to let it go. Sothe wasn't emotional, Sothe was happy just to let the subject drop if I didn't want to discuss it. But the silver-haired woman once again put a hand on my shoulder, a deeply troubled look on her pale face.

"Aran, you can tell us. We want you to be comfortable and happy here..."

I could feel my face becoming redder by the moment. I managed not to shrug off her hand, though the urge was strong. It wasn't rational how repulsed I was by this kind girl.

"It's… just… er… sharing a tent with Laura might be a little… might be… awkward."

I kept my tone low, hoping Sothe wouldn't overhear. It was already embarrassing enough to admit it to my former enemy, but it would be awful if my new commander knew about my stupid weakness. Still… I couldn't help how I was raised. I just couldn't do it.

Her yellow eyes widened as she understood, and she crossed her arms tenderly over her stomach. "I suppose it was rude of me just to assume… Aran, would you mind terribly if I talked with Sothe for a moment? Edward and Leonardo were eager to talk with you… I believe they are outside their tent, by the tree. You see it? Would you mind too much?"

Of course I minded. Sothe would obviously know about this, now. I glanced at the tall man, and his face was still in the scowl that I was growing used to. Without speaking, I bowed quickly to Micaiah, making my way over to the tree she had pointed out.

It didn't take long to see Edward fencing with shadows underneath the tall tree. His hair was sticking to his forehead with sweat, and he didn't notice my approach until I was nearly upon him. He stuck his sword in the dirt, puffing out his thin chest proudly.

"Hey, Aran! I saw how you were fighting today, you were awesome. You wanna teach me some of your moves?" I paused, considering. I didn't want to hurt the kid, but he was so eager it was hard to deny him. "I don't know how much I could teach you… I use the lance, not the sword." Edward's face immediately slipped into a childish pout. "Aw!"

I chuckled, despite my mood. "Sorry, kid. How about some other time, okay?"

He grinned widely, hauling his sword over his shoulder and flinging dirt everywhere. "Yeah! So… where did you come from? How do you know Laura? What are gonna-"

Edward was interrupted by a long arrow. It whizzed pass his ear, landing exactly beside his bare foot. One millimeter to the left and it would have hit him. Lifting my lance, I glanced around in tense concentration to see where the arrow had come from…

_**Let me know how this chapter went. Chapter 3 should be out soon! ^^ **_


	3. Chapter 3

To my surprise, Edward just turned and glared up at the tree. I followed his gaze and immediately understood why he wasn't more concerned that he almost lost a toe.

The blonde archer- Leonardo- was perched gracefully on a slender branch, innocently polishing an arrow. His bow was slung haphazardly over his shoulder- it didn't take a genius to figure out who had shot the arrow. I was impressed with his skill; he had hit _right _next to Edward's foot.

"Hey, you come down here and try that again, Leonardo! I bet you're not so tough when you're not shootin' your arrows up in a tree-"

"You talk too much," the blonde interrupted, replacing the arrow in his quiver and pulling out another. "Learn to be quiet for a few seconds, Edward, would you?"

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle as the boys squabbled back and forth. It reminded me somewhat of my childhood; I was always in some fight or another with the boys… playful, of course.

But Laura was always running out of her church, pleading for us not to hurt each other…

"Aran? Araaaaan?"

"Y-yes?" I muttered, coming out of my thoughts slowly. Edward was waving his hand two inches in front of my face, pouting slightly. "I think Micaiah wants you…"

I turned and looked over my shoulder, seeing that Micaiah was indeed beckoning for me next to her and Sothe's tent. Sighing, I put a hand on Edward's shoulder. "We'll train together sometime, Edward. That's a promise."

My words worked, the boy perked right up and I was able to walk away without feeling too much like a jerk. "Don't bother," Leonardo called after me, "It won't help him."

"HEY!"

I chuckled at Edward's response, making my way sluggishly to Micaiah. I could tell by her face that she wasn't going to give me the answer I wanted- that I wouldn't have to share a tent with Laura. She had her lips pursed, and she looked almost… sad.

"Aran," she greeted me as I approached, giving me a weak smile. "I talked to Sothe about your problem…"

"Yes?"

"And… would you _really _mind so terribly to share a tent with Laura?"

I paused, tightening my hand around my lance. It wasn't really so much that I minded… I was concerned for Laura. She probably had never shared a bed in her life, let alone with a grown man. I knew she wasn't naïve. And the worst part was that she wouldn't refuse, no matter how uncomfortable the situation would make her. That was just how she was.

"I'm just worried about Laura," I finally answered. Micaiah nodded, pushing her hair out of her face. "I already talked with her while you were with the boys… she seemed fine with it. But I won't force it on you if you really don't want to, Aran."

Laura was okay with it? That made things slightly better. I would have to deal with it…

"I'm sure I'll manage," I muttered tightly, adverting my eyes from hers. I heard her sigh, and she leaned slightly forward, lowering her voice. "Sothe wanted me to save this for an emergency, but I believe now is the time to use it… to give it to you."

I raised a brow in confusion, meeting her yellow eyes. She seemed almost… mischievous, pulling back the flap to her tent and mentioning for me to go inside.


End file.
